1.5 cuft will be small. You want a 2.0 cuft softener. Either controller will work, but the 5600 would be at the upper specified limit for tank size. Since price difference is minimal, I would go with the 7000sxt.

Alice,

Thank you for your help. I will be going with the Fleck 7000 SXT per your recommendation. My water softener will be outside of the house, so would it be a wise idea to purchase the Insulating Jacket for an added cost? I am going with the 10% Resin, is ResinTech CG10 ok to use? The plumbing from the house is 1", so I assume I select the 1" Noryl Male bypass? Thank you again for taking the time to help me out. Alice, would it be possible for you to help me with setting up the system once it is in place?

The Fleck 7000SXT comes with a dedicated Noryl bypass so the choice to make is the connection to the bypass.

There are various connectors (adapters) available depending on the size and material of the service and return lines.

Also, a good idea to plumb in a three ball valve bypass in case the Fleck bypass or valve require service so you'll still have (unsoftened) water to the house.

Installing a softener outside you MUST insulate to prevent freezing and an environmental cover for the 7000SXT is a wise expense.

Thank you justalurker. I will let my husband know about the three ball valve bypass and make sure that he puts one in. We seldom ever get even close to freezing here in Southern California, so do you feel like it is still a good idea to get an insulator? I am still in the process of picking a place to purchase from, and while I do so I am looking to see if they offer an environmental cover as an added purchase. Would it be possible for me to get by with a 40,000 instead of a 48,000?

Alice and I usually agree on softener sizing so 64k (2 cubes) is the right choice not 40k or 48k. The difference in price at time of purchase is minimal but will pay you back in more efficient operation.

You want to keep the resin tank and control valve out of direct sunlight and warm and dry. If the softener freezes bad (expensive) things happen. Consider a small computer grade UPS for the softener and that MUST be kept dry.

Be careful when shopping and make TRIPLE sure you're getting quality brand name components and not pacific rim knock-off parts.

OP, are you sure you are reading the correct harness? For example, I live not far from you and my district utilizes 55% surface water. In your case that would be higher than what you are expecting. In my case, it's far lower than the groundwater spec. In any case, it is best to run a local test.

I recommend a water test from a local certified lab but more and more people want to rely on one or two or three year old "averaged and range" reports from their local water authority because they don't want to spend the money for the tests and some knowledgeable people on the forums encourage these posters to use those reports.

That's their choice and when they find their new softener is not correctly sized they have to live with it.

Correctly sizing a softener is based on the SPECIFIC water conditions of the water to be treated... not ranges or averages or year(s) old results at the treatment plant miles away, water use, and plumbing circumstances at the installation site.

^Right on.

Thank you gentleman and Alice for all your input and help. Lurker, I am going to find a local certified lab tomorrow and have my water tested. I will return here with the results once I have them. My husband thinks I'm crazy for spending so much time researching this, but although the softeners are relatively inexpensive, we are on a very tight single income and I want to make sure that we are purchasing the proper equipment for our needs. I think we will also need some kind of filter as well because the previous system we had at the house (here when we moved in) was a Hague Watermax, which I understand was a Whole House Filtration/Softener. I know that the water softener will not filter out any of the chlorine/chlorides. Any thoughts on this?

cntl4userguy, I was going by the IRWD report and this is what it stated: "Unlike many areas of Orange County, IRWD is not dependent upon only one source of water. Approximately 65 percent of our total domestic water supply is local groundwater pumped from wells within the Orange County Groundwater Basin. The remaining 35 percent of our water supply is imported water which must be purchased from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). Note: some areas of the District such as Lake Forest and Newport Coast receive mostly MWD water all year-round."

I live in Lake Forest, so this is what I was going by.

In any case, I will have the water tested ASAP and let you know what I find. Thank you again for all your help. I do appreciate it.

Although softeners are relatively inexpensive when correctly sized and set up for efficient operation they can save you lots of $$$ over the long haul. Longer service life for appliances, fixtures, and plumbing, using much less soap and detergent, and clothes lasting long adds up and often more than pays for the cost of the softener. Regardless of a family's income that just makes sense and is not crazy.

As a rule I don't favor filtering out antibacterials whole house. They're in the water for a reason. If you really want to do it then better to use POU shower heads and an under kitchen sink filter or RO.

Lurker,
Thanks for the input about the filters. I will keep that in mind. I couldn't agree with you more about the money savings. Since our Hague broke down I have noticed that I am having to use double of just about everything....shampoo, dish soap, laundry detergent, etc. It makes complete sense in the long haul, just a stretch to our budget right at this moment. 3 fairly big things decided to break down at the end of 2014 and now must be replaced.

I will get back to you with the results of my water test as soon as I can get it done.

Have you considered investing in a service call from the h/ague dealer to find out what it would cost to return your Watermax to operating condition?

I have considered it, but just one of the parts (that we know for sure is unrepairable, the 6 button control panel) is a little over $300 and something that puts the machine through all the cycles is not working either, as it stops halfway through a regeneration.

Should be a minimal charge for an estimate.

If it were me I'd want a concise estimate from the dealer for what it would cost to repair the Hague... then you'd know.

If it would cost $500 and you have a good servicing dealer it's worth considering.

I too would have to agree with a 2 CF 7000 sxt over a 1.5 CF 5600 sxt. With 5 people you get better flow rate from the 7000 v 5600 & a 2 CF has less regens vs a 1.5 CF.

mandypark77, I also live in Lake Forest, CA and have been having a hard time finding vendors for softeners with Fleck valves, where did you end up getting yours?